Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

He carried the small, rough porcelain bowl in his bosom the whole way, but didn't encounter many people along the way.

Ge Ergui shook his head and opened the courtyard gate.

The door was open and unlocked, and only the east room's wooden windows were intact.

He limped into the house, leaving unwashed bowls and chopsticks from breakfast on the kang table, and a quilt haphazardly rolled up in the corner of the kang.

The air was filled with a putrid smell.

He placed the bowl of braised pork on the kang table, turned and walked towards the outer room, but turned back after taking only two steps.

I climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed), opened the kang lintel, and found a wad of paper wrapped around a bar of soap that had been stored there for who knows how long.

Clutching the bar of soap, Ge Ergui stepped into the outer room.

I plunged both hands into the basin of water and scrubbed my hands and between my fingers, which were covered in grime, until I had even scraped my fingernails clean. The water in the basin quickly turned black.

After emptying the dirty water, he scooped up another ladle of water and began rubbing his face.

In just a few moments, the soap block was dented.

Ge Ergui grabbed a handkerchief, and a strange smell wafted up from it. It was covered with patches of yellow and black stains.

He flicked the towel back to the edge of the basin.

He stood in the sun and let the wind dry the water stains before going back inside and placing the bowl of braised pork neatly on top of the cabinet.

Finally, light three incense sticks and carefully insert them into the incense burner.

Amidst the swirling smoke, two black-and-white photographs on the wall radiate a kind smile.

Ge Ergui sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and watched quietly.

Memories flashed by, including the ridicule and mockery I suffered as a child.

Before his father passed away, he forced his eldest brother to swear to take care of him.

The day my mother passed away, the helplessness and reluctance she felt as she left the old house to me; the expressions on my brother and sister-in-law's faces that day…

It seems like I haven't eaten meat since that day.

He suddenly turned his head.

Sunlight fell on the kang table, and the dirty bowls that were not usually noticed became an eyesore at this moment.

……

Lin Cuihua returned home with a tense expression.

She didn't go inside; instead, she tiptoed and peered over the wall.

My mother was hunched over washing clothes, with a wooden basin piled high with clothes at her feet and quite a few others nearby.

Grandpa's, Uncle's, and even cousins...

Hearing the noise, Cuihua's mother looked up, and her tired face instantly melted away, turning into a smile.

Lin Cuihua waved.

Her mother glanced back at the direction of the house, and faint laughter drifted over before she tiptoed out of the yard.

"Eat quickly."

Lin Cuihua opened the lunchbox and, without saying a word, stuffed the braised pork into her mother's mouth.

……

The sound of chopping wood stopped.

Lang Qiuping went into the storeroom, frowning as he stared at the untouched braised pork in the lunchbox: "Mom, why aren't you eating?"

"I'll just taste the soup," Lang's mother smiled, "You do the work, you eat."

"I've already eaten," Lang Qiuping said, licking his lips. "Brother Shanzi even provided me with white rice, saying that if I work for him, I'll get a share of the profits later."

"real?"

"It's true." Seeing that his mother didn't believe him, Lang Qiuping whispered about what happened on the snowy night.

Lang's mother nodded, then said solemnly, "You must not feel that others owe us anything. You have to work hard and not try to be clever."

"I know, Mom, please eat."

……

It was a little after 4 p.m.

The three of them arrived at the Zhang family's house one after the other.

"Uncle Ergui, you see something different," Lin Cuihua shouted loudly.

Lang Qiuping pursed her lips: "Aren't you going to wash your face?"

"It's not about his face, I can't really say, but Uncle Ergui seems to have more energy and spirit," Lin Cuihua said, tilting her head.

Lang Qiuping didn't reply, but muttered to himself.

Aren't you the same?

His mouth was stretched almost to his ears.

"Team leader, shall we go?" Ge Ergui quickly changed the subject, feeling embarrassed.

"Okay." Zhang Wenshan pointed to the equipment, "Let's go set up the trap first, and I'll tell you about the precautions..."

On the road.

He explained concisely when shrimp and crabs tend to move around and how to put them in cages under different water conditions, without holding back any information.

This task will eventually be handed over to them. Once they are proficient, they can go to some more distant system-marked locations separately.

Even if there isn't one, you can still choose a general location so you don't end up with nothing to show for it.

"Shouldn't we keep it for now?" Zhang Fengxia asked, somewhat puzzled.

My brother previously said that the weather was hot, so the shrimp and crabs were lazy and it wasn't worth catching the small ones; it was better to fatten them up and then eat them all at once.

"They work at Hama Pond every day around noon, so I'm thinking of getting some small shrimp and crabs and sending them over."

Zhang Wenshan hesitated for a moment before revealing his purpose, silently preparing his arguments in case someone objected.

You can't get rich off those shrimp and crabs anyway, so it's better to just have peace of mind.

"Oh my, that's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Zhang Fengxia slapped her forehead and beamed with joy.

"Yes, yes, the Party Secretary is getting on in years, he really needs to take some supplements."

"The sun has been scorching these past few days, there hasn't even been a cool breeze. Even someone made of iron couldn't withstand it."

Ge Ergui and the other two chimed in with their opinions, offering no objections whatsoever.

Zhang Wenshan chuckled self-deprecatingly and continued walking forward.

"Uncle Ergui and Sister Cuihua will be nearby later, in charge of transporting and sorting goods back and forth."

"Choose according to my criteria, don't hesitate to spend money."

"Qiuping, head in this direction, be careful."

Upon reaching the backwater bend, Zhang Wenshan focused his attention and began assigning tasks, and everyone got to work with great enthusiasm.

"You stay here, use a net to scoop up the water plants along the roots and the surface of the rocks."

"Alright, I'll give it a try." Zhang Fengxia gripped the extended wooden pole, steadily lowered it into the water, and then pulled it up sharply. "Wow, these are old, and they're huge!"

She stared at the dense layer of snails covering the bottom of the net and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

He even rubbed his eyes to double-check.

In the past, catching snails was always a lot of hard work.

I just pointed to a spot, and it felt like I'd stumbled upon a treasure trove!

Zhang Wenshan helped put the fish into the basket and nodded slightly.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a location carefully selected by the system.

There are roughly the same number of small snails, about two centimeters long, and large snails, about three or four centimeters long.

During periods of sustained high temperatures, snails will collectively retreat to deeper waters and will not easily venture into shallow areas, even in the evening.

If you find the right spot at this time, you can catch them every time.

I can find similar places myself, but I might not get the same results, and it would take more time and effort.

Without saying a word, he waded into the water.

Parting the water plants, he probed his fingers into the silt, specifically choosing shady spots where the sun couldn't reach, and each time he found something.

Before I knew it, the fish basket was completely full.

"Team leader, you're amazing!"

Lin Cuihua's panting voice could be heard.

"The location they chose is perfect, and the methods they taught are amazing. Almost everyone in our area has mastered them..."

Her voice stopped abruptly as she stared intently at the fish basket in front of her.

"Then you'd better work hard." Zhang Fengxia teased her with a big smile as she looked at her own achievements.

"The team leader is biased; he gives you the best stuff."

Lin Cuihua pouted, watching Zhang Fengxia scoop up another bunch of snails with longing.

"Once the new nets are ready, everyone will get one," Zhang Wenshan urged. "Hurry up."

There are limited hours in the evening, and in those days there were no lighting facilities, so there weren't many quiet periods.

Lin Cuihua stuck out her tongue and quickly carried the fish basket away.

As night fell.

The fishing and hunting group regrouped.

"This...did we really make this?" Lin Cuihua stepped forward and tried to lift the large basket. "Good heavens, it must weigh almost a hundred pounds!"

"Adding the ones in the fish basket, it'll easily weigh 120 or 130 pounds." Ge Ergui weighed the large snail in his hand, clicking his tongue in amazement. "We've never seen anything like this in our village before."

"And crayfish and clams too," Lin Cuihua said, pointing to a fish basket. "This place is amazing!"

"The team leader is really good."

Lang Qiuping looked at Zhang Wenshan with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

He had been to many places, both mountains and rivers, and knew that most of the time the reason for not reaping any rewards was that he couldn't find them.

This ability to make goods appear wherever you point it.

That's a truly divine skill.